The Ghana Wheelchair Tennis Team left Accra Ghana on Saturday 4th February 2023 by road to Abuja Nigeria to represent the nation Ghana in an international tournament, thus the 2023 International Tennis Federation World Team Cup Africa Qualifiers, which was scheduled for 7th to 11th February 2023 at the Abuja National Sports Stadium Tennis Court.
Due lack funds for the Ghanaian team which made up 3 Men’s team players, 3 Women’s team players and the National Coach, the team hired a private Nigerian Transport company transport the players by road to Abuja, wait for the team and return the team to Accra Ghana by road again.
The Ghana Team successfully participated in the tournament whiles both Ghana team placed 4th respectively in both categories at the tournament.
Because the team did not have financial support from the Nation or other stakeholders in sports in Ghana, the team could not afford to sleep at the hotel after their classification event and coaches workshop which ended at 3pm on the 12th of February 2023 so they decided to leave Abuja that evening. So on their way to Lagos Nigeria when they got to SADAMU IN OGUN STATE-NIGERIA at exactly 2:30 am early hours of 13th February 2023 they were attacked by armed robbers who shot at their vehicles several times to stop, but the brave driver did not stop but run through the armed men who kept shooting at them. The team or driver did not get any gun shot wound but the broken windscreen cut most of the team members and 1 of the players by name Bernard Yawson who was sitting at the front set got head injurues and cut due to the windscreens that were flying around.
The team managed to get to the Ghana Border at Aflac before they at 11pm to get access to internet service to broke the news to the Ghana Wheelchair Tennis Fratenity.
Today, 14th February the President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation called Henry Larbi, the National Coordinator of Ghana Wheelchair Tennis to sympathize with the team and see how the Federation could have supported the team if they were in Nigeria.
The ITF Wheelchair Tennis Department officers Alistair Williams and Anastasia Rentouli, upon hearing the issue had a zoom meeting with the National Coordinator of Ghana Wheelchair Tennis to sympathize with the team and see how best they can support Ghana for such issues not to happen again. Later in the day, Jackie Nesbit, Senior Executive Director of ITF Tours and Players Pathway has written to the Ghana Tennis Federation to encourage safeguarding of players in participating in an ITF tournament and to prevent further occurrence of such issue. They are said countries should use safe mode of transportation for their teams.
The Ghana Wheelchair Tennis team have received medical attention from the Ghana Ambulance Service at the Accra Sports Stadium but they are yet to get any professional counseling on the traumatic experience
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
